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Helicopter crash injures two, starts small fire

A helicopter crash Southeast of Mammoth injured two and started a small brush fire Wednesday afternoon, according to law enforcement officials.

The crash occurred on Wednesday, Sept. 19, at about 12:30 p.m., when Mono County Sheriff’s Department dispatchers received a call regarding a possible helicopter crash. The reports also indicated the helicopter was on fire.

The helicopter crashed on Pole Line Road, southeast of Mammoth Lakes, near Deer Springs Road, according to a sheriff’s department press release.

The two occupants of the crashed helicopter were taken via another helicopter—this one from Asplundh Construction Corporation, which was working on some power lines in the area—to Mammoth Airport where an ambulance was waiting to transport them to Mammoth Hospital for evaluation. The two occupants sustained minor injuries.

“When the witnesses to the crash got to the aircraft, the two occupants were walking from the wreckage,” said Jennifer Hansen, a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s department. “The Asplundh Construction Corp. doing fieldwork around the same area saw the crash and called 911 to report it.”

The two occupants were contracted by Southern California Edison and were working for Chesapeake Bay Helicopters.

The crash caused a small brush fire that is now contained after it burned approximately 1.5 acres. Fire crews stayed at the crash site over night to secure the area.

Representatives from the NTSB and FAA arrived Thursday, Sept. 21 to conduct a full investigation into what caused the crash.

Personnel from the Mono County Sheriff’s Department, Mammoth Lakes Fire Department, Long Valley Fire Department, Cal Fire, U.S. Forest Service, and Mono County Paramedics responded to the accident.